Today I want to share with you one of the key ingredients for your Entrepreneurial success.
It's Free and you can do it right now but I can guarantee that virtually none of your competitors are doing it.
What is it? It's thinking outside the box. It's taking a step back from your business and looking at your marketing in a totally new way.
Let me explain. Most businesses are trapped in a prison. It's the prison that says they have to market in the same way that everyone else in their profession markets. So all the plumbers advertise in the yellow pages, all the hairdressers advertise in the local paper, all the double glazing companies use telemarketing etc etc.
If you are similar to 95% of businesses, you probably use just one or two primary ways to market and grow your business. Perhaps it's advertising. Perhaps it's referrals, or direct mail. I understand why you're doing it but you need to know that only using one or two marketing approaches is seriously limiting your profits and your potential. So here's my question for you: What would happen if over the next few months you doubled that to four or five prime ways of marketing? Then, over the next few months you were to double it again, so that you were using up to 10 prime ways of marketing to maximise your customer base and your profitability?
I'll tell you what will happen. You'll achieve what everyone continually tells me is 'impossible.' You'll increase your profits by 50% or 100% or more. I've seen it happen again and again with my clients and those rare business owners and managers who are willing to decide to make Marketing excellence their top priority.
At this point people normally start coming up with excuses. 'I haven't got time' or 'I don't understand Marketing' are the most frequent. Great, so start with the simple stuff. Let me give you an example: When did you last get an email from your hairdresser? Instead of putting all their efforts into advertising, what would happen if your hairdresser took your email address next time you visited and sent you the occasional email making you a special offer, or asking if you would like to make an appointment, or asking for referrals? If they did that continually across the business they would probably increase their re-booking rate by 20-50% and their rate of referrals could easily double. And it will have cost them virtually nothing.
So here's what I do when I start working with clients and I would like to offer it to you as a gift now. Have a look at this list of ten prime ways of marketing. If you're serious about growing your business, pick at least two that you're either not doing, or not doing very well - and MAKE A DECISION to add them to your marketing mix in the weeks and months ahead:
Direct Mail
Internet Marketing
Email Marketing
Pay per Click Advertising
Newspaper / Magazine Advertising
Telephone Marketing
Direct Sales
Strategic Alliances
Up-selling existing customers/clients
Referral Systems
PR
It all boils down to the extent to which you are prepared to 'step outside the box' and test new and innovative marketing approaches. Most businesses are not willing to do this. It's all too much effort and they're more interested in wallowing in their marketing ignorance, which is why most businesses in the UK are living examples of mediocrity in action. I believe that you are more than that - otherwise our paths would not have crossed. Your thinking is one of the key factors in determining your levels of success so 'Think Differently' and have some fun.
Source: Chris Cardell
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